our own behaviour,) we make guilty of our disasters, the sun, the moon, and the stars: as if we were villains by necessity; fools, by heavenly compulsion; knaves, thieves, and treachers, by spherical predominance; drunkards, liars, and adulterers, by an enforced obedience of planetary influence; and all that we are evil in, by a divine thrusting on: An admirable evasion of whore-master man, to lay his goatish disposition to the charge of a star! My father compounded with my mother under the dragon's tail; and my nativity was under ursa major; so that it follows, I am rough and lecherous.-Tut, I should have been that I am, had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing. Edgar

Enter EDGAR.

and pat he comes, like the catastrophe of the old comedy: My cue is villainous melancholy, with a sigh like Tom o'Bedlam.-O, these eclipses do portend these divisions fa, sol, la, mi.

Edg. How now, brother Edmund? What serious contemplation are you in?

Edm. I am thinking, brother, of a predicton I read this other day, what should follow these eclipses.

Edg. Do your busy yourself with that?

Edm. I promise you, the effects he writes of, succeed unhappily; as of unnaturalness between the child and the parent; death, dearth, dissolutions of ancient ami, ties; divisions in state, menaces and maledictions against king and nobles; needless diffidences, banishment of friends, dissipation of cohorts, nuptial breaches, and I know not what.

Edg. How long have you been a sectary astronomical? Edm. Come, come; when saw you my father last? Edg. Why, the night gone by.

it the more, he, with great judgment, makes these Pagans fatalists; as appears by these words of Lear,

"By all the operations of the orbs,

From whom we do exist and cease to be."

For the doctrine of fate is the true foundation of judicial astrology, Having thus discredited it by the very commendations given to it, he was in no danger of having his direct satire against it mistaken, by its being put (as he was obliged, both in paying regard to custom, and in following nature) into the mouth of the villain and atheist, especially when he has added such force of reason to his ridicule, in the words referred to in the beginning of the note. WARBURTON.

[6] This is, I think, intended to ridicule the very awkward conclusion of our old comedies. where the persons of the scene make their entry inartifi. cially, and just when the poet wants them on the stage. WARNER.

Edm. Spake you with him?

Edg. Ay, two hours together.

Edm. Parted you in good terms? Found you no displeasure in him, by word, or countenance ?

Edg. None at all.

Edm. Bethink yourself, wherein you may have offended him and at my intreaty, forbear his presence, till some little time hath qualified the heart of his displeasure; which at this instant so rageth in him, that with the mischief of your person it would scarcely allay.

Edg. Some villain hath done me wrong.

Edm. That's my fear. I pray you, have a continent forbearance, till the speed of his rage goes slower; and, as I say, retire with me to my lodging, from whence I will fitly bring you to hear my lord speak: Pray you, go; there's my key :—If you do stir abroad, go armed. Edg. Armed, brother?

Edm. Brother, I advise you to the best; go armed; I am no honest man, if there be any good meaning towards you I have told you what I have seen and heard, but faintly; nothing like the image and horror of it: Pray you, away.

Edg. Shall I hear from you anon?

Edm. I do serve you in this business.— [Exit EDG. A credulous father, and a brother noble, Whose nature is so far from doing harms,

That he suspects none; on whose foolish honesty

My practices ride easy!-I see the business.-
Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit:
All with me's meet, that I can fashion fit.

[Exit.

SCENE HI.

A Room in the Duke of ALBANY's Palace. Enter GONERIL

and Steward.

Gon. Did my father strike my gentleman for chiding of his fool?

Stew. Ay, madam.

Gon. By day and night! he wrongs me; every hour He flashes into one gross crime or other,

That set us all at odds: I'll not endure it :

His knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us
On every trifle :-When he returns from hunting,
I will not speak with him; say, I am sick :-
If you come slack of former services,

You shall do well; the fault of it I'll answer.
Stew. He's coming, madam ; I hear him.

[Horns within.
Gon. Put on what weary negligence you please,
You and your fellows; I'd have it come to question:
If he dislike it, let him to my sister,

Whose mind and mine, I know, in that are one,
Not to be over-rul'd. Idle old man,

That still would manage those authorities,
That he hath given away!-Now, by my life,
Old fools are babes again; and must be us❜d

With checks, as flatteries,7-when they are seen abus❜d.
Remember what I have said.

Stew. Very well, madam.

Gon. And let his knights have colder looks among you; What grows of it, no matter; advise your fellows so : I would breed from hence occasions, and I shall, That I may speak :-I'll write straight to my sister, To hold my very course :-Prepare for dinner.

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

A Hall in the same. Enter KENT, disguised.

Kent. If but as well I other accents borrow, That can my speech diffuse, my good intent May carry through itself to that full issue

For which I raz'd my likeness.-Now, banish'd Kent, If thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemn'd, (So may it come !) thy master, whom thou lov'st, Shall find thee full of labours.

Horns within. Enter LEAR, Knights, and Attendants. Lear. Let me not stay a jot for dinner; go, get it ready. [Exit an Attendant.] How now, what art thou?

Kent. A man, sir.

Lear. What dost thou profess? What wouldest thou with us?

Kent. I do profess to be no less than I seem; to serve him truly, that will put me in trust; to love him that is honest; to converse with him that is wise, and says lit

[7] Old fools-must be used with checks, as well as flatteries, when they [i. e. flatteries] are seen to be abused. TYRWHITT.

[8] To diffuse speech-signifies to disorder it, and so to disguise it. STEE.

tle; to fear judgment; to fight, when I cannot choose ; and to eat no fish.

Lear. What art thou?

Kent. A very honest-hearted fellow, and as poor as the king.

Lear. If thou be as poor for a subject, as he is for a king, thou art poor enough. What wouldest thou? Kent. Service.

Lear. Who wouldest thou serve?

Kent. You.

Lear. Dost thou know me, fellow?

Kent. No, sir; but you have that in your countenance, which I would fain call master.

Lear. What's that?

Kent. Authority.

Lear. What services canst thou do?

Kent. I can keep honest counsel, ride, run, mar a curious tale in telling it, and deliver a plain_message bluntly that which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualified in; and the best of me is diligence.

Lear. How old art thou?

Kent. Not so young, sir, to love a woman for singing; nor so old, to dote on her for any thing: I have years on my back forty-eight.

Lear. Follow me; thou shalt serve me; if I like thee no worse after dinner, I will not part from thee yet.Dinner, ho, dinner!-Where's my knave? my fool? Go you, and call my fool hither :

Enter Steward.

You, you, sirrah, where's my daughter?

Stew. So please you,—

[Exit.

Lear. What says the fellow there? Call the clotpoll back.-Where's my fool, ho?—I think, the world's asleep.-How now? where's that mongrel ?

Knight. He says, my lord, your daughter is not well. Lear. Why came not the slave back to me, when I called him?

[9] To converse signifies immediately and properly to keep company, not to discourse or talk. His meaning is, that he chooses for his companions men of reserve and caution; men who are not tattlers nor tale-bearers. JOHNS. [1] In queen Elizabeth's time the Papists were esteemed, and with good reason, enemies to the government. Hence the proverbial phrase of "He's an honest man, and eats no fish;" to signify he's a friend to the government and a Protestant. The eating fish, on a religious account, being then esteemed such a badge of popery, that when it was enjoined for a season by act of parliament, for the encouragement of the fish-towns, it was thought necessary to declare the reason: hence it was called Cecil's fast. WARB.

Knight. Sir, he answered me in the roundest manner, he would not.

Lear. He would not!

Knight. My lord, I know not what the matter is; but, to my judgment, your highness is not entertained with that ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a great abatement of kindness appears, as well in the general dependants, as in the duke himself also, and your daughter.

Lear. Ha! sayest thou so?

Knight. I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, if I be mistaken; for my duty cannot be silent, when I think your highness is wronged.

Lear. Thou but rememberest me of mine own conception; I have perceived a most faint neglect of late; which I have rather blamed as mine own jealous curiosity;2 than as a very pretence and purpose of unkindness I will look further into't.- But where's my fool? I have not seen him this two days.

Knight. Since my young lady's going into France, sir, the fool hath much pined away.

Lear. No more of that; I have noted it well.-Go you, and tell my daughter, I would speak with her.Go you, call hither my fool.-

Re-enter Steward.

O, you sir, you sir, come you hither: Who am I, sir? Stew. My lady's father.

Lear. My lady's father!

my lord's knave: you

whoreson dog! you slave! you cur!

Stew. I am none of this, my lord; I beseech you, pardon me.

Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rascal? [Striking him.

Stew. I'll not be struck, my lord. Kent. Nor tripped neither; you base foot-ball player. [Tripping up his heels. Lear. I thank thee, fellow; thou servest me, and I'll love thee.

Kent. Come, sir, arise, away; I'll teach you differences; away, away: If you will measure your lubber's length again, tarry: but away go to; Have you wisdom? so. [Pushes the Steward out.

[2] By this phrase Lear means, I believe, a punctilious jealousy, resulting from a scrupulous watchfulness of his own dignity. STEEVENS. [3] Pretence in Shakspeare generally signifies design.

STEEVENS.